Reading and composition course based on works by Italians and foreigners about Italy and its culture and by Italians about their distinctive experiences of other cultures as tourists and emigrants. Works studied will be primarily chosen from among fiction and non fiction narratives, both originally in English and translated into it. R5A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition Requirement and R5B satisfies the second half.

The Italian popular imagination has been haunted by spirits, demons, and myriad creatures that continue to both frighten and entertain. Yet tales of the supernatural can also engage some of the most profound human inquiries such as mortality, grief, commemoration, spirituality, ethics, human imagination, and the violations of "proper" societal behavior. This course examines the many forms of supernatural belief traditions that people express through traditional genres and popular media. From folk tales to movies, we will look at a wide survey of the various employments of the supernatural tale across Italy's complex geography and identity-formation. Key concepts will be the issues of belief and visibility: in this case, the conviction that experiences of the supernatural are genuine, and have important implications about life after death, the existence of spirits, magic, and related topics. In addition to a foundational survey knowledge of some of the earliest works of Italian literature and oral history, we will discuss how the introduction of modern technology has shaped to both resist, satirize, and indulge in the paranormal into the 20th and 21st centuries and how that has affected some literary output. Through specific case studies, we will explore the forms supernatural tradition and belief take in everyday life, and develop models for understanding how supernatural belief relates to other aspects of worldview and culture and highlight the diverse ways in which supernatural storytelling can function in our lives. Ultimately, we will also examine functions of place-based supernatural narratives to discuss how supernatural storytelling can be mobilized to make powerful claims and change the contours of our everyday reality. This is a reading and composition course that fulfills the University's R5B requirement. Students of this course will develop an understanding of the potentials of authorial power and rhetorical strategies that storytellers use to convince or manipulate the beliefs and emotions of their readers, and interrogate the literary and cultural meanings of these uncanny encounters through a close study of primary and secondary texts. We will be focused equally and simultaneously on the interrelated skills of close reading and intensive writing. Texts: all materials will be provided digitally by the instructor.

Requisites

• Previously passed an R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Previously passed an articulated R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Score a 4 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature. Score a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Language and Composition. Score of 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills